


"Anansi", they say

by oracleskald



Category: African Diasporic Mythology
Genre: Devotional Poetry, Podfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28574172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oracleskald/pseuds/oracleskald
Summary: This was a commission written during Spooky Divination Week 2020, requested by a polytheist who has been a lifelong friend of Anansi's. It is published publicly with permission. I rather enjoyed writing this one, and it has exactly the level of reverence one would imagine from, well, Anansi. I also wrote it as though it's being spoken aloud by the commissioner, because that felt most right.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Synthesist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Synthesist/gifts).



"Anansi," they say,  
c ould charm the balls off Tiger,  
steal all the world’s stories for his own  
and come out laughing -  
tears of joy streaming down his face  
like drops of water on a spider’s web -  
and still bring death to life.

"Anansi," they say,  
once bound the snake from head to tail,  
preached to the king and stole from the hunter,  
crossed the river at a run  
to dodge the jaws of Crocodile  
and still had time  
to tell the tales.

"Anansi," they say,  
is a friend to all  
and a thorn to many,  
Sky-God, Soul-Washer,  
Husband to Aso, friend of Seven,  
‘thicc of ass’, loose of skull,  
wise beyond years  
and more foolish than any other.

"Anansi," they say, knows me,  
and I know him.  
Luck, coincidence or role  
is for me to know,  
and you to find out,  
if Anansi tells his tale,  
I say, and I tell mine.


	2. Dramatic Reading

The poem in the previous chapter, read aloud by [The_Synthesist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Synthesist). [Click here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E7nJK6tisBamg5iPDCLVE-hMqIHMIEUC/view) to listen on Google Drive.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at [historicaloracle.ca](https://www.historicaloracle.ca/post/anansi-they-say). Comments welcome here, or there.


End file.
